The community cycling center, my favorite [non profit, bicycle-related] client asked me to design a thank you card that they will give to people who buy refurbished bicycles from them. Their goal = to communicate that the money these customers have paid for refurbished bicycles is going towards the many outstanding community programs that CCC does. My goal = finding a way to marry my quirky style with CCC’s love of photography and simple text.

As expected (but hey! I had to go for it) they preferred the photograph option, and asked me to try my type with several different pictures.

Knowing that they’ve already seen the photograph with text drawn over it, I wanted to offer something else to look at. I added the hash marks to try to put a little quirk into what is otherwise a pretty straight forward thank you card front. The hash marks would also be a fun design element to play with in the rest of the card.

It is very typical in my interactions with clients that I know what they’re looking for but try to seduce them into choosing something funkier. Often Illustrator-Britt and Designer-Britt have two different ideas. Designer-Britt knows what’s most effective and best looking and Illustrator-Britt just wants to make something in whatever style she’s currently obsessed with. (Nigel Peake!)

CCC has selected this one:

This is my proposed inside design:

Sometimes they let me use my own choice of text, sometimes I am required to use Franklin Gothic. In this instance they love the font. They suggested moving the logo to the back of the card, which I’m thrilled to do it completely clashes style-wise. The new inside: